Elizabeth & the Catapult's Sophisticated, Visceral Pop

The classically trained pianist Elizabeth Ziman, a.k.a. Elizabeth & the Catapult, crafts luscious, literate pop that's at once sophisticated and visceral. Located midpoint between Sara Bareilles (rational) and Fiona Apple (tightly wound) on the crazy scale, Ziman is a deceptively subtle singer who sounds world-weary but never bitter or cynical, deploying arresting lyrical twists and avoiding histrionics to create the feeling of eavesdropping on a frank private conversation. "If you have some common sense you will leave me right this moment/I am not your girlfriend/I'm just a lonely letter you know better than to ever open," she chirps ominously on "Sugared Poison." Catchy and tantalizing, Like It Never Happened changes shape with each hearing.